Karnataka Caste Census Report Bats For 51% Backward Class Reservation

The Karnataka caste census report has recommended increasing the reservation for Other Backward Classes from 32% to 51%. The report was presented before the cabinet chaired by CM Siddaramaiah on Friday. A formal copy of the report has not yet been made public. NDTV Profit accessed some excerpts of the report.

The Jayaprakash Hegde Commission, set up back in 2020 by the then ruling BJP government, submitted its report two months ago. The recommendation is made based on the cast census data. The Commission has also recommended restructuring the classification within the OBC categories.

Instead of the current Category 1, the report suggests creating Category 1A and Category 1B. The Category 1A would get 6% reservation, Category 1B -12% reservation, Category 2A-10% reservation, Category 2B -8% reservation, Category 3A - 7% reservation, and Category 3B - 8% reservation. 

According to the current reservation structure in Karnataka, Category 1 gets 4%, Category 2A  gets 15%, Category 2B gets 4%, Category 3A gets 4%, Category 3B gets 5%, Scheduled Castes (SC) gets 17.15%, Scheduled Tribes (ST) gets  6.95% and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) gets 10%, bring the total reservation to 66%. 

These changes are aimed at ensuring more precise and equitable distribution of reservations, according to the committee. Further discussions on the census report will be held on April 17 by the state cabinet. 

The report suggests moving some castes currently in Category 1 to Category 1A based on occupational criteria. Certain communities from Category 1 and 2A will be reclassified into Category 1B based on current social conditions and the categorization will be based on skills, nomadic lifestyle, and traditional occupations like artisan other caste-based professions.

State reservations in India apply to government jobs, admissions into educational institutions (like colleges and universities), promotions within government services, and is also applicable in areas like scholarships, legislatures, and other government schemes.

The report shows that the total population covered in the caste survey is 5.98 crore, with SC population at 1.09 crore, ST population at 42.81 lakh, Category 1A at 34.96 lakh, Category 1B at 73.92 lakh, Category 2A at  77.78 lakh, Category 2B at 75.25 lakh, Category 3A at 72.99 lakh, and Category 3B at 81.37 lakh.